Prince Harry sees birds but no kiwi during New Zealand visit
May 9, 2015, 11:31 PM
Britain's Prince Harry, center, prepares to depart Ulva Island following a tour of the island as part of his first visit to New Zealand, on Sunday, May 10, 2015. Prince Harry traveled by boat to uninhabited Ulva Island Sunday during the second day of a weeklong visit to the South Pacific nation. (Dianne Manson/Pool Photo via AP) AUSTRALIA OUT, NEW ZEALAND OUT
(Dianne Manson/Pool Photo via AP)
ULVA ISLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Britain’s Prince Harry didn’t fulfil his hope Sunday of seeing a kiwi in the wild but he did get to see other native birds during a visit to a remote New Zealand island.
Harry traveled by boat to uninhabited Ulva Island during the second day of a weeklong visit to the South Pacific nation. He was immediately greeted by a weka, a flightless bird which looks a little like a kiwi, minus the long beak.
Conservation workers on Ulva have eradicated rats, stoats and other predators that can eat the eggs of native birds, allowing the birds to flourish.
Harry first traveled south to Stewart Island, population 378. About half the residents turned out to greet him at a community hall or wave to him from outside. He delighted them by shucking an oyster, a local delicacy.
At the hall, resident Sharon Ross said she asked the prince what he most wanted to see during his trip, and he replied: A kiwi.
While that didn’t happen, Harry nevertheless appeared impressed by the unusual plants and birds he did see.
Harry is also scheduled to visit Christchurch, Whanganui, Linton and Auckland.
The prince is the grandson of Britain’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and fifth in line to the throne. He arrived in New Zealand from Australia after a monthlong embedment with the Australian army.
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